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What's in a number? A season filled with pressure for NASCAR's Austin Dillon

Chuck Burton Associated Press Austin Dillon won last year's Nationwide Series title and the 2011 Camping World Truck Series championship.

Charlie Neibergall Associated Press Austin Dillon stands next to his car before qualifying in the NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway last year.

Nobody knows better what pressures and expectations Austin Dillon faces this year than Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Thirteen years after his father, seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the son still wrestles with creating his own way in the sport.

While Earnhardt Jr. is more comfortable with stepping out of his father’s shadows, the connection between father and son never goes away. It also creates goals that often aren’t realistic.

As the first driver in the famed No. 3 Chevrolet since the fatal accident, Dillon now faces many of those same hurdles.

“I feel like I’m the guy in the car, but the history that was created with that number is Dale’s, and I feel like that is very special,” Dillon said.

The plan to keep the No. 3 was put into motion a year before Earnhardt died, car owner Richard Childress said. Earnhardt wanted a capable driver to follow him and both hoped the ride also would carry on a family tradition.

Earnhardt Jr. stayed with the race team his father started until 2008, when he stunned the sport by leaving for a job in one of Rick Hendrick’s Chevrolets. Although Earnhardt Jr. only won twice in six years since leaving the family’s team — and away from any real hope of following his father with Childress — Earnhardt Jr. is happy to finally see the No. 3 back on the track. Even if it’s not an Earnhardt.

But it’s still family. Dillon is Childress’ grandson.

“It was not in the plans at all to put anybody in the car until the right person was there,” Childress said. “Yeah, if Dale Jr. had wanted to do it, or Kelley Earnhardt, or Kerry or now Jeffrey, whoever, it would be an Earnhardt or one of my family who would get in that 3 car.”

Childress has maintained control of the car number since the accident. NASCAR owns the car numbers, but owners are allowed to renew the license each year. Childress paid the fees for 12 years, waiting for the right moment to bring it back.

Dillon, 23, has paid his dues. He won the 2011 Camping World Truck Series championship as well as last year’s Nationwide Series title.

But nothing can prepare him for what’s ahead.

“I asked him, I said, ‘You sure this is what you want to do?’ and he said, ‘Yes. Everything I’ve ever driven has had a No. 3 on it [in the truck and Nationwide series]. And that’s what I want to do — race this number in the Cup [series],” Childress told Fox Sports last week during NASCAR’s media tour in Charlotte, N.C. “We had quite a few discussions on it, and sure, there’s pressure with it, but I think the pressure from the number drives him. I’ll tell you what, he’s an amazing kid.”

The revival of the No. 3 came with the blessing of Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Childress said.

Earnhardt Jr. drove the No. 3 car once since his father’s death, winning the 2010 Nationwide race for Childress at Daytona International Speedway. He said the expectations from that race were so great, he vowed to never do it again.

Although Earnhardt Jr. has gone on to win the most popular driver of the year 11 consecutive times, some fans still try to draw comparisons with his father.

Dillon knows he will face the same scrutiny.

“Everybody has the right to their own opinion, and I’ve had enough good responses for me to be confident in what I’m doing and going after,” he said. “So I’m excited to see what happens at Daytona. I feel like I’m ready.”

Dillon said he wants to bring the number back “with grace.” Like Earnhardt’s son, Dillon knows he has to be careful to create his own legacy while being respectful of the former champion.

“I’ve never had anybody not be positive about it,” Dillon said.

Ten after 3 series

Where were you when Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500?

For racing fans, it’s like memories of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the attacks of Sept. 11. Earnhardt’s death instantly became one of those moments marked in time.

So many things have changed in the past 10 years since his coal-black No. 3 Chevrolet veered left, then hard right into the fourth-turn wall following a final-lap bump.

The Times-Union shared a week's worth of stories of Dale Earnhardt and his legacy, leading up to the 10th anniversary of the crash.

Tuesday: Sterling Marlin's bump of Earnhardt's rear bumper on the final lap started the spin. Marlin and seat-belt maker Bill Simpson became targets of death threats and insults.

Wednesday: The sport went through a renaissance of safety initiatives that kept all other drivers in NASCAR from dying on the track since that day.

Thursday: Dale Earnhardt Jr. was left to deal with the enormous pressure and expectations of carrying on the family tradition without his father's help.

Friday: The Florida legislature and courts got involved when news outlets and websites wanted to post Earnhardt's autopsy photos. The Earnhardt Family Protection Act was passed to keep photos from any autopsy sealed.

Saturday: Like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, Earnhardt's stature continues to grow in death. The No. 3 memorabilia remains a big seller. The sport's popularity also seemed to peak in the seasons immediately following his crash.

Sunday: We asked drivers, celebrities and fans to share their stories of Feb. 18, 2001. The responses were overwhelming. From movie stars to truck drivers, more than 200 offered their own memories.

Monday: What would Earnhardt be doing today if he had survived the crash? How else would NASCAR be different?